Britney Spears opened up about her performance at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards in her memoir The Woman in Me.

The 41-year-old superstar took the stage to deliver what was lauded as a comeback performance of her single “Gimme More” after taking some time off to raise her sons Sean Preston and Jayden James.

However, nothing went exactly according to plan. She explained what went down, why she even agreed to the performance and how her ex Justin Timberlake was involved in “one of the worst days” of her life.

Read more about Britney Spears’ experience at the 2007 VMAs…

Although she did not want to take the stage, Britney said that she was facing pressure to perform from her team to “show the world I was fine.”

“The only problem with this plan: I was not fine,” she wrote. That was complicated by additional problems with her costume and hair backstage and a lack of sleep the night before.

Then she ran into Justin, who closed out the show after she opened it.

“Everything was going great in his world. He was at the top of his game in every way, and he had a lot of swagger. In comparison, she wrote, “I was having a panic attack. I hadn’t rehearsed enough. I hated the way I looked. I knew it was going to be bad.”

She noted that she gave the performance her all, even if it wasn’t up to her usual standards.

“I’m not going to defend that performance or say it was good, but I will say that as performers we all have bad nights. They don’t usually have consequences so extreme,” she said.

Making matters worse, Sarah Silverman took the stage to make jokes about Britney and her sons. She missed them at the time because she was “backstage sobbing hysterically.”

“You also don’t usually have one of the worst days of your life in the same exact pace and time that your ex has one of his best,” Britney said about the experience, adding that the hate followed her for weeks afterwards.

Britney broke down other difficult moments in her life in the memoir, including when the paparazzi captured troubling photos of her with her children.

MORE FROM BRITNEY’S BOOK:

• Every Celebrity Mentioned in Britney Spears’ Memoir, Plus What’s Written
• What Britney Spears Wrote About Christina Aguilera in Her Memoir
• Everything Britney Spears Wrote About Ex Sam Asghari in Her Memoir, From How They Met to Suffering a Miscarriage
• Britney Spears’ Memoir: 6 Major Jamie Lynn Spears Revelations
• Britney Spears Talks 2003 Fling with Colin Farrell in New Memoir – Here’s What She Wrote!
• Britney Spears’ Memoir: Every Bombshell Justin Timberlake Revelation

Buy The Woman In Me on Amazon.

Disclosure: Each product has been independently hand curated by our editorial team. Some products on this site use affiliate links and we may earn commission for any purchase made through the links.